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Eggs and bacon: It's the match made in food heaven that you love in a morning fry-up, where the unctuous golden yolk oozes over a salty strip of cured pork. Or in a quiche lorraine of creamy, just set savoury custard studded with little bacon bits. Or in the carbonara sauce that turns dried pasta into something quite luxe with no effort at all.

But put those eggs and bacon in the hands of Heston Blumenthal and the English chef's mad-scientist-meets-Lewis Carroll imagination can't help but come up with something different. How about an ice cream that looks like scrambled eggs, is silky in the mouth and has a subtle yet unambiguous bacon flavour? And put it alongside a strip of pancetta and a slice of pain perdu (a luxurious French toast) smothered in marmalade.

This breakfast-dessert – or is it the other way around – is a certified Heston classic, and the dish he chose to show MasterChef contestants in an episode to screen tomorrow.

A little later, away from the set, Heston talked about eggs and bacon again, but this time in practical instructions that may change the way you cook.

The eggs

Heston, who has intensely researched the molecular make-up and chemical properties of food, remains in awe of the egg.

"It's amazing that something that comes out of a chicken's backside can be so versatile and such a beautiful thing to eat," he says. "It's a complete ingredient, maybe just with some salt and pepper. When you get the egg right, the yolk is runny but the thing that takes it to another level is when the white is perfectly set. It becomes like a gel you put into your mouth. It has a beautiful texture and it just disappears."

So Heston has headed to his kitchen laboratory to develop the ultimate methods for boiling, poaching and frying eggs, to guarantee that perfect combination of yolk and white every time. You can find videos for these online from an episode of hisCook Like Heston series.

Boiled eggs

Heston's boiled eggs are cooked in the usual saucepan and water, but his timing is quite different. Rather than simmering for the usual four minutes, most of the cooking is done off the heat.

The technique involves putting one to four eggs in a small saucepan and filling with water that just covers the surface of the egg(s). Put on high heat, with lid on, and as soon as the water boils, turn off. Leave for six minutes, then drain.

I've tested this method with an Australian extra-large egg (different from British sizes) at room temperature and four minutes, rather than six, will give you a perfectly set white and runny yolk. However, you may need to trial with your own stove top and saucepan.

Poached eggs

No whirlpools and no vinegar. Poached eggs,Heston-style, do away with two of the more popular ways of ensuring the whites hold together.

However, he warns, the eggs need to be fresh (check they sink, not float, in a bowl of water) and you will need a cooking thermometer.

Place a heatproof dinner plate at the bottom of a large pot, cover with water and heat to 80C. Crack eggs on to a strainer so any watery white is separated and put gently in the pot. Cook for four minutes for a delicately set white and runny yolk.

Fried eggs

Heston's solution for getting a properly fried white without hardening the yolk is to cook them in two stages. Separate the egg and carefully drop the white into a hot pan and place over direct heat, or in the oven, until set. Then drop the yolk on top and put under a hot grill for 10 to 15 seconds.

If this sounds too much of a fuss, fry the eggs with a lid over the top, which helps set the whites more quickly.

Scrambled eggs

To create delicate scrambled eggs, Heston whisks them with a combination of milk, cream and butter, then cooks the mixture slowly, for about 15 minutes, in a bowl over boiling water until the custard forms into soft, creamy clumps.

The chef likes to finish both fried and scrambled eggs with a drizzle of beurre noisette (browned butter) and a few drops of sherry vinegar.

Now for bacon

The Fat Duck owner says eggs and bacon can work together in many other forms.

Make a tortilla of thinly sliced potatoes, coated in egg, and layered in a cake ring or loaf tin lined with streaky bacon (fry leftover bacon with onion and garlic and layer with parmesan or gruyere). Pea and ham soup is taken to another level with a poached egg, or try his recipes for a simple carbonara with green chilli or quiche lorraine.

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